Proving that age is just a number, Jan Tapper, 72, has competed in her first tarmac rally, Tarmac South West, and importantly, completed it.
As they say in motorsport, ‘to finish first, first you have to finish’.
“Well, I didn’t come last!” Jan said, reflecting on her achievement.
“I started off with nerves but once the car got going, they all disappeared. It was exhilarating and I just loved it.”
Competing in the 130 Class, which is designed for rookies and those new to rallying, competitors are restricted to speeds of 130km/h, and Jan, in her 2002 Subaru WRX, finished eighth in her class against 11 competitors.
She was one of six rookies in a field of 30 rally drivers (across all classes) who raced the clock along 16 stages to a total of 78 competitive kilometres of closed roads in and around Pemberton on Saturday March 28.
“It was hard to stick to the restricted speed limit, especially when I knew I could drive faster, but you get penalised for going over the speed limit – I really wanted to give it some more!” she said.
Sitting beside Jan in the co-driver’s seat calling the pace notes was experienced rally driver and co-driver, Cindy Gielingh-Jones.
“I really wanted someone experienced next to me who could teach me, and Cindy was brilliant.”
Jan explained that while she had a basic understanding of the rally road book, Cindy and her husband Nigel Jones, spent time teaching her how to position the car and how to drive to pace notes.
“During the recce Cindy and Nigel were very good, and I got used to listening to her calls, she’d say, ‘in 200 metres R5’, which means in 200 metres, turn right to where five is on a clock face,” she said.
“When we came to the town stage, I loved it. I was screeching around corners.
When we crossed the finish, Cindy turned to me and said: “What the f—k was that? I never knew you could do that!”
“It was so funny, the town stages brought out my inner hoon and I felt like I was in my element.
“That’s the rally sprint experience coming out.”
Jan didn’t sit behind the wheel of a rally car until she was 68 when she started competing in the short form rally sprint events held at Perth Motorplex on Thursday nights.
While a rookie in the southwest event, Jan Tapper isn’t new to motorsport. She has been around rally cars and drivers since she met her husband Ross Tapper 40 years ago. Together they own Tarmac Events.
When Jan retired from her recruitment role at Western Power, she didn’t stop working. Instead, she became Ross’ right hand, helping him run rally events that include Tarmac West, Bunbury Sprint, Albany Sprint and the rally sprints at Perth Motorplex.
Ross posted on Facebook:
“I have to admit to being proud of my wife Jan. At almost 72 she entered her first tarmac rally. Age is just a number, we should all be doing what we enjoy doing. Not only did she love it, but finished all stages and only got a 2sec speeding penalty, and that’s almost a badge of honour.”
If you’d like to try rally driving, a great place to start is the rally sprints where you can compete in a standard road car with a helmet. For more information, visit www.tarmacevents.com.au.
